Determine the empirical formula of a compound containing 48.38 grams of carbon, 6.74 grams of hydrogen, and 53.5 grams of oxygen​

The empirical formula of the compound becomes

Explanation:

The empirical formula is the chemical formula of the simplest ratio of the number of atoms of each element present in a compound.

We are given:

Mass of C = 48.38 g

Mass of H = 6.74 g

Mass of O = 53.5 g

The number of moles is defined as the ratio of the mass of a substance to its molar mass. The equation used is:

......(1)

To formulate the empirical formula, we need to follow some steps:

Molar mass of C = 12 g/mol

Molar mass of H = 1 g/mol

Molar mass of O = 16 g/mol

Putting values in equation 1, we get:

Calculating the mole fraction of each element by dividing the calculated moles by the least calculated number of moles that is 3.023 moles

The ratio of C : H : O = 1 : 2 : 1

Hence, the empirical formula of the compound becomes